Jay Narayan

John C. Fan Distinguished Professor

Professor Jagdish Narayan has made pioneering contributions in laser–solid interactions, transient thermal processing of materials, pulsed laser deposition, defects and interfaces, and domain-matching epitaxy. His work has led to novel functional materials such as supersaturated semiconductor alloys, metal–ceramic nanocomposites, laser-diffused solar cells, and the groundbreaking discoveries of Q-carbon and Q-BN—materials harder than diamond with record high-temperature superconductivity in B-doped Q-carbon.

These discoveries have influenced fields ranging from diamond and c-BN devices to high-efficiency Nano-Pocket LEDs for solid-state lighting, oxide electronics, multifunctional sensors, and nanomagnetics for information storage. For these achievements, Professor Narayan received the North Carolina Science Award, the state’s highest civilian honor, and was celebrated in The Chronicle of Higher Education as the “Michael Jordan of microelectronics” (2010) 【NC State News | Chronicle】.

Life Fellow/Membership Honors (various years): National Academy of Engineering (NAE), National Academy of Inventors (NAI), National Academy of Sciences India (NAS-I), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), Materials Research Society-India (MRS-I), American Physical Society (APS), ASM International, and AAAS.
2022 – Best Paper Award, Crystals (MDPI) — “Fabrication of Q-Carbon Nanostructures, Diamond and Their Composites with Wafer-Scale Integration”
2021 – John Goodenough Materials Innovation Lecture (University of Texas at Austin)
2019 – R&D 100 Award for Novel Nanodiamonds for Nanosensing and Quantum Computing
2018 – R&D 100 Award for New Materials Harder than Diamond and Superior High-Temperature Superconductors
2017 – R&D 100 Award for Discoveries of Q-carbon and Diamond-Related Products
2016 – ECE Emerging Materials Research Prize
2015 – Emerging Materials Research Prize (Best Paper)
2015 – Professor S.C. Jain Memorial Lecture and Prize, IISc Bangalore
2014 – Mehl Medal, TMS Brazil, Pan American Conference
2014 – Institute of Metals Lecture Award, TMS
2014 – TMS Robert Franklin Mehl Gold Medal
2014 – O. Max Gardner Award (Highest UNC System Faculty Honor)
2014 – North Carolina Award for Science (Highest Civilian Honor in NC)
2012 – Holladay Medal (Highest NC State University Honor)
2011 – RJ Reynolds Prize (Highest NC State College of Engineering Award)
2011 – Lee Hsun Lecture Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2011 – Acta Materialia Gold Medal and Prize
2010 – Feted as the “Michael Jordan of Microelectronics,” Chronicle of Higher Education
2008 – Inaugural Fellow, Materials Research Society (MRS)
2005 – TMS Symposium held in his honor, “New Frontiers in Thin Film Growth and Nanomaterials”
2004 – Edward DeMille Campbell Lecture and Campbell Prize, ASM International
2003 – Electronic Products Magazine “Product of the Year” Award
2001 – ASM International Best Paper Award
2000 – Honorary Member and Fellow, Materials Research Society of India
1999 – ASM International Gold Medal (Highest Honor of ASM International)
1997 – IIT Kanpur Distinguished Alumnus Award (First Materials Scientist honored)
1994 – EMSA Best Paper Award, Electron Microscopy Society of America
1992 – NSF Distinguished Service Award
1991 – NC State University Distinguished Scholarly Achievement Award
1991 – Distinguished University Professor, NC State University
1989 – Fellow, ASM International (American Society for Metals)
1983 – Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
1982 – Fellow, American Physical Society
1982 – IR-100 Award for Supersaturated Semiconductor Alloys for Advanced Device Applications
1981 – IR-100 Award for High-Performance Metal-Ceramic Nanocomposites
1981 – Award for Outstanding Sustained Research, US Department of Energy
1979 – IR-100 Award for Low-Cost, Laser-Diffused Solar Cells and p-n Junctions
1970 – American Society for Metals, Best in Class Award
1969 – President’s Medal, IIT Kanpur (First in graduating class)

Q-Carbon and Q-BN

The discovery of Q-carbon and Q-BN, along with the conversion of carbon into diamond and h-BN into c-BN at ambient conditions, represents a breakthrough in the science of diamond-related materials. This journey began with seminal Science papers in 1979 and 1991 and culminated in a series of publications from 2015–2018, as well as ten U.S. patents and two international patents pending. These patents, licensed to Q-Carbon LLC, have fueled commercialization efforts. His work earned the 2017 and 2018 R&D-100 Awards for Q-carbon and diamond-related products.

Domain Matching Epitaxy

Professor Narayan invented Domain Matching Epitaxy (DME), a paradigm for growing thin-film heterostructures across large lattice misfits by matching integral multiples of lattice planes. This innovation revolutionized the integration of oxides and nitrides on silicon and sapphire substrates, verified through synchrotron studies. His patents in DME and novel ZnMgO–ZnCdO materials have been licensed by industry leaders to advance high-efficiency solid-state lighting.

Earlier Pioneering Work

In the late 1970s, Professor Narayan introduced laser annealing and solute trapping in semiconductors, which enabled the creation of supersaturated semiconductor alloys—the backbone of modern integrated circuits. For this work, he received the 1981 U.S. DOE Award, the 1983 IR-100 Award, and later the 2011 Acta Materialia Gold Medal for leadership in materials science. His solute trapping concept has influenced Nobel Prize–winning and Kyoto Prize–winning research in quasicrystals and alloy physics.

Publications

Formation of Q-silicon by swift heavy ion irradiation: Nanoscale materials modifications
Narayan, J., Sahoo, S. S., Joshi, N. N., Tripathi, A., & Narayan, R. J. (2026), Journal of Materials Research, 41(5), 812–826. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-026-01796-8
Direct Laser Writing of Nucleation Sites for Patterned Diamond Growth
Khanna, S., Narayan, J., & Narayan, R. (2025), Journal of Electronic Materials, 54(6), 4818–4831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-025-11847-1
Enhancement of the electrochemical performance of LiFePO4 cathode material by nanosecond laser annealing
Sahoo, S. S., Narayan, J., Narayan, R. J., Sun, X.-G., & Paranthaman, M. P. (2025, March 7), MRS Communications, Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-025-00701-4
Formation of Q‐Carbon Nanoballs and Nanodiamonds by Pulsed Laser Annealing of Patterned Polymer Structures
Khanna, S., Kumawat, K., Narayan, J., & Narayan, R. (2025), Advanced Materials Interfaces, 12(22). https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500614
Large‐Area Growth of Ferromagnetic Q‐Carbon Thin Films
Joshi, N. N., Kalakonda, P., Narayan, R. J., & Narayan, J. (2025), Physica Status Solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters, 19(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/pssr.202400398
Enhanced optical transmittance and room temperature ferromagnetism in Al-doped zinc oxide epitaxial films
Temizer, N. K., Broman, M., Nori, S., Reynolds, L., Kumar, D., & Narayan, J. (2024, October 1), AIP Advances, Vol. 14. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0224007
Multifunctional carbon-based nanostructures (CBNs) for advanced biomedical applications – a perspective and review
Joshi, N. N., Narayan, J., & Narayan, R. (2024, January 1), Materials Advances, Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma00636k
Novel Q-Carbon Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries
Pethe, S. P., Sahoo, S. S., Ganesan, A., Meyer, H. M., Sun, X.-G., Narayan, J., & Paranthaman, M. P. (2024, November 19), Applied Sciences, Vol. 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210679
Path for Room-Temperature Superconductivity in Q-Carbon-Related Materials
Narayan, J. (2024, January 30), C – Journal of Carbon Research, Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/c10010014
Q-carbon as an emergent surface coating material for antimicrobial applications
Joshi, N., Shukla, S., Khosla, N., Vanderwal, L., Stafslien, S., Narayan, J., & Narayan, R. J. (2024, January 24), Thin Solid Films, Vol. 791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2024.140227

View all publications via NC State Libraries

Jay Narayan